LOCAL

Cornell catwalk presents one wild fashion show

SHAWNEE A. BARNES
sbarnes@ithacajournal.com
  • The fashion show is from 5-7 p.m. Sunday at Barton Hall.
  • Proceeds from the show go to elephant conservation in Africa.
  • Designers include some featured on the reality show Project Runway.
  • More than 70 students will model the sustainably-made clothing.

When Gabriela Wagner, a veterinary medicine student at Cornell University and founder of the Gabby Wild Foundation, is not in the lab doing molecular research on animals, she’s drumming up awareness around the world for the plight of endangered wildlife.

And she’s doing it through fashion.

On Sunday, Wagner, who is better known as Gabby Wild, will host a fashion show along with the GoWild! Club on campus, featuring ecologically- and sustainably-crafted clothing from top designers, worn by university students of all shapes and sizes.

The show takes place from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Barton Hall. Tickets are $8.50 in advance and $10 at the door. Proceeds from the show go toward African elephant conservation.

“The clothes were all hand-made and all garments were made with earth-friendly materials, such as organic cotton or organically, raw ‘peace’ silks,” Wagner said. That means no harm was done to the pupae of the silk worms, she said. And many of the materials are hand-dyed with fruit and vegetable dyes.

Many of the garments will be for sale at the show.

Wagner founded the nonprofit Gabby Wild Foundation in 2011 and works to protect and expand natural areas and wildlife habitat around the world.

Sunday’s show features local, national and international designers, including some from Lifetime’s show “Project Runway.” Over 70 students signed up to model and no one was turned away, Wagner said. A team of volunteers will do hair, makeup and photography.

“This is not merely a fundraiser for African elephants, but also a method to inspire young women to believe in how beautiful they are,” she wrote in an email. “The designers are ecstatic to provide sizes for ‘real’ women with very few size 0’s and 2’s being distributed so that we can develop a healthy appreciation for being comfortable in a realistic body size.”

For more information on the Gabby Wild Foundation go to gabbywild.com.

Follow Shawnee Barnes on Twitter @IJShawneeBarnes.

If you go

• For tickets: events.cornell.edu/event/conservation_catwalk_eco-fashion_show